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Torch Coral Declinng Health


chemikalzsky

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chemikalzsky

Hey guys, I'm at a loss with my Torch Coral that I just got over the weekend.

 

I picked it up on Saturday brought it home and did a slow acclimation. When it was in the LFS, it didn't extend very far, but it looked OK. The last couple of days, it's been happy and doing great. It started to extend further that in the store and was awesome.

 

I came home from work today and saw that half the head is dead!!

 

post-88598-0-42936300-1438733382_thumb.jpg

 

The only thing that happened from last night to today was a feeding. I fed my zoas the water from mysis shrimp (I heard they like it), I fed my clowns and torches some rod's, and I fed my anemone a couple of mysis. Nothing different than what I normally do.

 

 

As you can see, I have another Torch next to this one and it looks fine. I don't think it's brown jelly disease. I lost one of my other torches to that and this one doesn't have brown jelly. It just looks super recessed.

 

Does anyone have any ideas? I wasn't able to get my water tested today since I got home after the LFS closed. :(

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HarryPotter

Hey guys, I'm at a loss with my Torch Coral that I just got over the weekend.

 

I picked it up on Saturday brought it home and did a slow acclimation. When it was in the LFS, it didn't extend very far, but it looked OK. The last couple of days, it's been happy and doing great. It started to extend further that in the store and was awesome.

 

I came home from work today and saw that half the head is dead!!

 

attachicon.gif_20150804_194755.JPG

 

The only thing that happened from last night to today was a feeding. I fed my zoas the water from mysis shrimp (I heard they like it), I fed my

and torches some rod's, and I fed my anemone a couple of mysis. Nothing different than what I normally do.

 

 

As you can see, I have another Torch next to this one and it looks fine. I don't think it's brown jelly disease. I lost one of my other torches to that and this one doesn't have brown jelly. It just looks super recessed.

 

Does anyone have any ideas? I wasn't able to get my water tested today since I got home after the LFS closed. :(

 

 

You don't have your own test kits?

 

Weird that it would decline in health so rapidly while the other torch remains healthy

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chemikalzsky

Lighting? It just looks really pissed to me, I'd give it time.

 

Lighting should be adequate. The other torch has been in the tank for about 2 weeks and it seems to be getting healthier and bigger.

 

You don't have your own test kits?

 

Weird that it would decline in health so rapidly while the other torch remains healthy

I don't. :( that is probably the next thing I buy.

 

That's my same thought Harry. I don't know what would cause it. Are there pests that eat torches? That is the only Coral in the tank that is behaving this way.

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chemikalzsky

Perhaps another coral is stinging it? Some corals have long sweeper tentacles that could have reached it?

The only other Coral close to this one is the other torch. You don't think that it would sting it do you?

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Pinner Reef

That is a possibility. I've seen corals of the same species attack each other (specially LPS). And that torch does look as though it is hurt physically.

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Did you acclimate it to your lighting? Is your lighting stronger than the shop you got it from, I see it's on the sand bed, but is it directly under the lights? What are your lights? LEDs for instance especially if they have optics on can be very focused and the light directly under the array far to powerful for any coral, but just an inch or 2 away from the centre of the lights the intensity is much lower and things will be much happier.

Just a thought.

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chemikalzsky

My lighting is weaker than the shop I bought it from. I put it in a moderate flow area and not directly in the light. My light is 12w and there's about a good foot between the light and the sandbed.

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Ok so to much light isn't the issue, maybe to little? But as others have said, it might just be pissed off for some reason and will come back round on it's own in a day or 2.

Changing to much to quickly trying to fix something can cause more problems than you fix.

A sting is possible, especially from a near by torch. Torch, hammer and frogspawn have stinging tentacles that can reach up to 4 inches and are known to defend their growing space from any coral including another torch.

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chemikalzsky

Umm, maybe too little light, but I think it got stung by the Indo Torch next to it. I moved it from within stinging distance and hope it'll recover.

 

It looks pretty banged up. :( any suggestions as to how I can help it along or would leaving it alone be the best option?

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Leave it to it's own devices. As we said to many changes to quickly or moving it around a lot unnecessarily will just make it worse, especially if it's recovering from a sting or other physical issue.

If in a few days it's looking happier, maybe move it up the rock work a little to get it closer to the light and observe it for a few days to see if it looks happier again. Keep doing this until you find it's favoured location, but always give it a day or so to settle as moving it will likely upset it.

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Sorry to say but that is exactly how mine looked when it was dying. Like others have said just leave it alone and don't mess with it at all. One thing you want to do is when you see a coral in the store and it isn't looking 100% then don't buy it. I'd even look at it then go check it out a few days or week later and make sure it still looks steller. I've had horrible luck with Torch corals, I've lost 2 and the 3rd had 3 heads and now only 1 survived and hasn't grown hardly at all but my Frogspawn grows like a weed, seems like a new head every other week.

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My vote is that you fed it.... It's pooping. Coral don't have a face to turn red and get veiny when they are pushing a big one out, so they just look like garbage for a while to make up for it.

 

How new is this torch?

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My vote is that you fed it.... It's pooping. Coral don't have a face to turn red and get veiny when they are pushing a big one out, so they just look like garbage for a while to make up for it.

 

How new is this torch?

 

Hey guys, I'm at a loss with my Torch Coral that I just got over the weekend.

 

I picked it up on Saturday brought it home and did a slow acclimation. When it was in the LFS, it didn't extend very far, but it looked OK. The last couple of days, it's been happy and doing great. It started to extend further that in the store and was awesome.

 

I came home from work today and saw that half the head is dead!!

 

attachicon.gif_20150804_194755.JPG

 

The only thing that happened from last night to today was a feeding. I fed my zoas the water from mysis shrimp (I heard they like it), I fed my clowns and torches some rod's, and I fed my anemone a couple of mysis. Nothing different than what I normally do.

 

 

As you can see, I have another Torch next to this one and it looks fine. I don't think it's brown jelly disease. I lost one of my other torches to that and this one doesn't have brown jelly. It just looks super recessed.

 

Does anyone have any ideas? I wasn't able to get my water tested today since I got home after the LFS closed. :(

 

Going by the OP it was purchased Saturday and ok for a few days then declined in a matter of hours, it could be expelling waste.

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Going by the OP it was purchased Saturday and ok for a few days then declined in a matter of hours, it could be expelling waste.

Some how I only saw from the picture down and missed the first part of the post. It pays to be diligent I guess.

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chemikalzsky

Leave it to it's own devices. As we said to many changes to quickly or moving it around a lot unnecessarily will just make it worse, especially if it's recovering from a sting or other physical issue.

If in a few days it's looking happier, maybe move it up the rock work a little to get it closer to the light and observe it for a few days to see if it looks happier again. Keep doing this until you find it's favoured location, but always give it a day or so to settle as moving it will likely upset it.

 

I agree. I'll watch it and see.

 

Sorry to say but that is exactly how mine looked when it was dying. Like others have said just leave it alone and don't mess with it at all. One thing you want to do is when you see a coral in the store and it isn't looking 100% then don't buy it. I'd even look at it then go check it out a few days or week later and make sure it still looks steller. I've had horrible luck with Torch corals, I've lost 2 and the 3rd had 3 heads and now only 1 survived and hasn't grown hardly at all but my Frogspawn grows like a weed, seems like a new head every other week.

Oh no. :(

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chemikalzsky

Well, the Torch didn't make it. It succumbed to it's injuries today. :(

 

Things were looking promising yesterday, but not today. Thanks to everyone for your help. I've learned a through this.

 

post-88598-0-86804100-1438907066_thumb.jpg

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